More, More, More

This week I went to CVS to buy a new container of body wash. Even before hiking the AT I would get overwhelmed by the choices available for such products. With dozens of different varieties, each promising a different kind of clean, I have difficulty deciding which best suits my needs.

This week was no different. I found myself staring blankly at the shelves full of colorful tubes and tubs, more like a paint-supply shop than a soap store. I'd just about given up when my eyes fell on a row of simply labeled soaps with modest names like Tranquil and Energizing. I could find no parent company on the label, no overt advertisement for the corporation creating the soap. They simply produced the product, named it, and put it on the shelf.

Moreover, each plastic bottle claimed to be 'Enriched with a Natural Extract.' They didn't feel the need to use multiple extracts, as the one they picked would suffice for the rest. I found the singularity of this so amusing because we have entered into a time where 'more' is always considered to be 'better.'

Take, for example, energy drinks. When Red Bull first hit the market, it was a slender can containing only twelve ounces of whatever poison they sell us. As time went on, Monster and Rockstar "improved" on the paradigm by creating giant cans of 20 or more ounces.

Then the energy shots hit the market. 5 Hour Energy came in a tiny shot container because that's all we needed. The product already contains 7000% of my day’s supply of Vitamin B-12, why would I want or need more? Nevertheless, double shots soon became the norm at gas stations and convenience stores.

Is 'more' always better? What happened to 'enough?' Why is a bottle purporting to contain only one natural extract laughable? I want to simplify. I’d like to rediscover ‘enough’ and live peacefully with it. Would anyone else like to come along?